Man sentenced 4 years for beloved Rolando veterinarian's coronary heart assault loss of life

A person who pleaded responsible to involuntary manslaughter for inflicting an 88-year-old veterinarian’s deadly coronary heart assault on the sufferer’s Rolando clinic was sentenced Tuesday to 4 years in county jail.

Patrick O’Brien, 39, was initially charged with homicide for the June 15, 2022, loss of life of Clark Kelly, a longtime veterinarian at Boulevard Animal Clinic on El Cajon Boulevard.

O’Brien, who has been in custody since Kelly’s loss of life, is predicted to be launched early subsequent month, then serve the rest of his sentence on obligatory supervision.

Whereas Kelly was discovered contained in the clinic with a major head wound, San Diego County’s chief medical expert testified at a preliminary listening to final yr that Kelly died of a stress-induced coronary heart assault, then possible fell and struck the ground or a desk.

Prosecutors argued O’Brien tried to interrupt into the clinic, startling Kelly within the course of, whereas O’Brien’s protection legal professional argued there wasn’t sufficient proof to point out O’Brien ever entered the constructing.

Kelly made a 911 name on the time and advised a dispatcher, “There’s an intruder who’s damaged into the clinic.”

Kelly’s spouse additionally ran to a close-by enterprise and advised bystanders a person was “attempting to interrupt into our place,” in line with preliminary listening to testimony.

Kelly was discovered on the ground of the clinic in a pool of blood, along with his cellular phone close by and the dispatcher on the road.

Witnesses pointed O’Brien out to officers. He was noticed sitting close to a trash bin about 30 toes from the clinic and was arrested.

At his sentencing listening to, considered one of Clark’s daughters, Karen Kelly, stated her father’s loss of life compelled the closure of the clinic after round 60 years of operation.

She referred to as her father “my hero” and “a legend in San Diego” and advised O’Brien, “You prompted him a painful, horrific loss of life, the place he suffered and he could not breathe.”

O’Brien’s protection legal professional, Peter Will, reiterated his arguments from the preliminary listening to that there was no proof that O’Brien touched Kelly or entered the clinic.

“This data undermined the preliminary conclusions that the system rapidly arrived at,” in line with Will, who stated his consumer is “genuinely heartbroken about any disappointment he has prompted the sufferer’s household.”

Will stated that on the day of Kelly’s loss of life, O’Brien was battling severe psychological well being and drug points, in addition to an contaminated wound in his leg after being stabbed days earlier.

The legal professional stated that on June 15, O’Brien entered the courtyard of the clinic however didn’t enter the clinic itself.

“It seems Mr O’Brien’s presence alone frightened Mr. Kelly such that he referred to as 911 and collapsed whereas on the cellphone,” stated Will, who additionally stated Kelly had a litany of heart-related well being points.